A South Florida family recently visited two Israel Defense Forces battalions that they adopted at their bases in Israel.

Gary Balter, a Friends of the Israel Defense Forces' Palm Beach/Broward Region board member who was also a former national board treasurer for the organization, visited the IDF bases in the Golan Heights and near Beit El along with his wife Wendy and son Adam. Both Gary and Wendy live in Hollywood while Adam lives in New York. The Balters, who are longtime FIDF supporters, met and heard firsthand from the soldiers of the IDF 162nd Armor Division's "Afik" Signals Intelligence Battalion and the 877th Division's "Ofek" Signals Intelligence Battalion.

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The family adopted these two battalions through FIDF, which also organized the family's visit to Israel. Their commitment to the battalions is that of $90,000 payable over three years.

"While meeting the soldiers from my battalion, I felt as though my contribution was greatly needed as these soldiers don't have any extras," Wendy Balter said. "They were thankful that we made the effort to meet them and were very appreciative of our support. Each soldier works very hard – at times 12 hours a day – while enduring difficult living conditions."

Wendy Balter continued, "It is important to my family to show them how much we care about them by visiting them and experiencing a slice of their life – and they love hearing that Jews from the around the world love and support them. We need to reinforce this message to keep them strong."

When asked what prompted the family to adopt the two battalions, Wendy Balter said they heard about the Adopt-A-Battalion Program from FIDF Palm Beach/Broward Region Executive Director Sherri Siskin and thought that they should get involved in this program.

Siskin praised the Balters' efforts, noting, "Wendy and Gary Balter are very strong supporters of the Friends of the IDF and Israel."

"They are donors who really want to make a sincere difference in the lives and well-being of the soldiers," Siskin continued. "The Adopt-A-Battalion Program of FIDF is really the most significant way to have an impact on soldiers across the board. Adopting these soldiers that are active combat soldiers in their battalions really serves a comprehensive effort to support their needs literally from A to Z."

FIDF's Adopt-A-Battalion Program is intended to allow supporters to go beyond their donation to get more involved by providing financial assistance to soldiers in need, caring for lone soldiers with no immediate family in Israel and funding rest and recuperation weeks for combat units. Supporters of the program are able to visit the soldiers in their adopted units on IDF bases, and have periodic communication with the units' commanders.

"We adopted these battalions because it is one of the less-supported programs that makes a huge difference in the lives of IDF soldiers," Wendy Balter said. "There are many battalions still in need of adoption."

When asked what supporting FIDF means for her family, Wendy Balter responded, "My family has never been after publicity for our philanthropy, but we hope that our example will inspire others to follow our footsteps and support the brave soldiers of the IDF.

These soldiers work very hard and make huge sacrifices to protect Israel. It is our honor and privilege to help ease their burden."

Contact Siskin at Sherri.Siskin@fidf.org or at 561-483-2771 for more information on FIDF and the Adopt-A-Battalion Program.